How the Indian Government Stabbed Burmese Tamils in the
Back - Thanjai Nalankilli, Tamil Tribune, July
2002
Tens of thousands of Tamil people from Tamil Nadu
went to work in Burma during the British colonial rule.
(Burma was renamed Myanmar in 1990 and is currently
known by that name.) Their children, children's
children and succeeding generations continued to live
there. There were also Telugu and Hindi speaking
workers who migrated to Burma from British India.
Burmese Tamils (Myanmar Tamils) had their own Tamil
language magazines for local and Tamil Nadu news,
schools for teaching Tamil, and movie theaters for
screening Tamil movies imported from India. Telugu and
Hindi speakers also had similar institutions and
facilities.
Things were going smoothly for these people even
after the British left and independence dawned on Burma
in 1948. Then there was a military coup in 1962. The
"immigrant population", although many had been living
there for generations and have integrated with the
Burmese society, became a target for discrimination and
oppression by the new government.
The then Myanmar Government (Burmese Government)
closed down the Tamil, Telugu and Hindi magazines.
Tamil, Telugu and Hindi schools were also closed except
for some that were operated from temples and houses.
Movie theaters showing Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies
were not closed but the Myanmar Government placed a
restriction that movies in only one language could be
imported from India, be it Tamil, Telugu, Hindi or
whatever. The Myanmar Government asked the Indian
Government to choose the language. Since the Tamil
population in Myanmar was larger, Tamil movies were
being imported in larger numbers than Telugu or Hindi
movies, and Tamil movies were shown in more theaters
and attracted more audience than Telugu and Hindi
movies, people thought that the Indian Government would
decide to export Tamil movies. That would have been the
rational, unbiased decision. But that did not happen.
Hindians who dominate and control the Indian Government
chose to export only Hindi movies to Burma (Myanmar).
It was a great blow to the large Tamil population
there. The Indian Government betrayed the Tamils. It
stabbed the Burmese Tamils in the back.
At a time when the Tamil people were being oppressed
by the then Burmese Government, Hindians who control
the Indian Government took the opportunity to impose
Hindi on them. It was a clear attempt to destroy the
identity and culture of Burmese Tamils, and
Hinidianize them. Indian Government's hope was that,
now on, the children and future generations of Burmese
Tamils would adopt the Hindian culture and language
(seen and heard in Hindi movies) and lose their Tamil
identity (with no or very little access to Tamil
culture and language through movies or magazines or
schools). This is part of the overall plan to destroy
the Tamil identity and culture everywhere Tamil people
live. Why?
Hindians consider themselves to be the descendants
of Aryans who migrated into northern India over three
millennia ago. While the Aryan culture had engulfed and
mutated most every culture in the Indian Subcontinent,
Tamil culture and language stand almost pure in its
original form, as a testimony that not every culture
and language owe to Aryan culture and their Sanskrit
language. Destruction (or gross degradation) of the
Tamil culture and language would solidify their old
claim of Aryan supremacy and that every culture in
India owes it to Aryan culture and language. This
explains the reason for Hindi imposition on Tamil Nadu.
This explains why Indian embassies in countries with
large Tamil population (for example, Mauritius, South
Africa, etc.) do not promote Tamil cultural events but
promote Hindianized and Aryanized cultural events. This
is in countries where the Tamil people are treated well
by the local governments. In the very few unfortunate
countries where the Tamil population is oppressed,
Hindians who control the Indian Government join hands
with the oppressive government in keeping down the
Tamil people. What are the people of Tamil Nadu going
to do to protect and promote Tamil culture among fellow
Tamils around the world?
(NOTE: The Burmese Tamil situation we discussed
above pertains to the 1960s and 70s. Their situation
has changed for the better in recent years. As far
India, its negative policies towards Tamil people
inside and outside India have not changed.)
